Manuscript leaf from a Book of Hours, in French, produced in Northern France

Text: From a Book of Hours, in French

Script: Textualis Formata (Textus Quadratus)

The illuminated leaf is from a French Book of Hours and shows the calendar for January. In the calendar the first column shows the Golden Numbers, written in burnished gold and the second column shows the Dominical Letters with the letter ‘A’ written in shell gold on a red or blue ground and letters ‘b’ to ‘g’ in brown ink. Saints for prominent days are shown in gold. Line and column rulings are in red.

On the recto is a miniature (60 x 37mm.) showing a man (apparently not Janus) seated at a table and drinking wine, while on the table are seen a jug, some bread and a knife; on the right a naked youth, the zodiac sign of the water carrier, Aquarius, pours water into a river. The versal KL is in red and gold. A decorative three-sided border on a gold ground and composed of red and blue acanthus, coloured flowers and leaves and a grotesque animal are on the right. On the verso are twenty lines of text in blue, red or burnished gold and a panel border composed of blue and gold acanthus, with coloured flowers on a liquid gold ground. Saints written in gold include SS. Genevieve (suggesting the Use of Paris), Vincent and Pol, all usually associated with Northern France; St. Pol was closely associated with Brittany.